Shekhar Suman He is currently in news for his latest show, ‘The Pyramid Scheme’, and during his promotional interaction, he talked about the dark side of old Bollywood. He also shared his unfiltered views on how the industry has evolved and money and power.
Shekhar Suman tells how Bollywood used to follow a pattern earlier
In conversation with Mid-Day, Shekhar Suman shared how the industry used to function. He said: “I think the biggest advantage today is the freedom we have to tell stories.”The veteran actor added, “Earlier, filmmakers were often told that certain themes wouldn’t work and that films needed big stars and strong business propositions to make them. The whole system worked that way.” He also shared, “Nowadays, though, there’s a lot more creative freedom, and we can make the kind of content that we really believe in.”He went further, challenging the rigid formula that once ruled mainstream Hindi films. He said, “Films of the past were often confined to a comfort zone and reluctant to experiment.”Talking about how the industry followed a pattern, he said: “There was a fixed template, a hero, a heroine, songs, romance, a villain and finally a happy ending. The focus was not always on the story; often how many stars the film could attract. Early films were driven by the actors, but now the characters are powered by the actors.”
Shekhar Suman talks about the exploitation of actors
In the same interview, Shekhar Sumar shared that due to lack of opportunities, many actors were being exploited. When asked further, the producers used to pressure the actors to meet in hotels and cafes against their will. He said, “a lot of talent who didn’t get a chance in traditional cinema due to industry constraints and other circumstances. Earlier, there was exploitation in the film industry. Today, directors, producers and writers have the freedom to create and tell stories on their own terms”.
Do you think money has too much influence in the film industry?
Shekhar Suman talks about money power
Shekhar Suman also spoke about how money has become the most powerful thing in the world. He said: “I believe that money is the greatest power in the world. Many brave men bowed down. You will see that before the uneducated millionaires, the educated person bows his head and touches his feet, because that is the power of money.”
More about ‘The Pyramid Scheme’
The web show directed by Shreyash Pandey along with Ashish R Shukla features Paramvir Singh Cheema, Ranvir Shorey, Shekhar Suman, Aanjjan Srivastav, Alfia Jafry and Vijay Kumar. It started streaming on Amazon Prime Video on June 5, 2026.
